The World's Most Powerful Women: May 18

Good morning, WMPW readers! Sexual harassment is rife in France, India has a new female power broker, and Diane von Furstenberg has named an heir. Want to share some news about an exceptional woman? Find me on Twitter at @laurascohn. Enjoy your Wednesday!

THE BIG STORY

Sexual harassment in France

With all the attention on Donald Trump’s attitude towards women, it’s worth noting that sexual harassment is not confined to the U.S. business world. In France, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Denis Baupin, resigned recently on such claims. And now, the Paris bureau chief of the Financial Times has penned her own cringe-worthy tale of experiences with French bankers and businessmen. Anne-Sylvaine Chassany writes that in her years working as a business journalist in Paris, she has come across inappropriate behavior from men in power time and again. Consider this: A senior cabinet adviser once sent her a text saying she was “delicious, pretty and lively” and asked her to drinks. She declined. Chassany writes that she did not run into such behavior when she worked in London.

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Shut down in Iran

In Iran, eight people were arrested for working for the online modeling business while not donning mandatory head scarfs. Former model Elham Arab, who had become a star for her now-closed Instagram account of her modeling bridal gowns, was questioned by prosecutors on live TV and said she had “bitter experiences” with the industry. Those comments come in disturbing contrast to the image she had portrayed online.

All hail the Nordic nations. A new study shows that Sweden, Norway, and Finland have the best gender equality in the workplace. The report, which measures female-to-male labor force participation and other factors, also found the “cost of motherhood” was nearly negligible in Italy, Spain, and Belgium.

I’ll admit it: I always liked the Spice Girls and the girl power they stood for. Turns out, Geri Horner (Ginger Spice) is still practicing what the group preached. She’s written children’s books and is a spokeswoman for a writing competition backed by Mattel and parenting site Netmums.

ASIA-PACIFIC

India’s next powerful woman

India has had a history of elevating women to powerful political positions, and Mamata Banerjee appears the latest to ascend. The chief minister of West Bengal has taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tax policies and is expected to clinch another term.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s efforts to foster entrepreneurship and end reliance on the large business groups called “chaebols” appears to be paying off. She says her country has seen tech startups spring up and that VC investment reached its highest level in 15 years in 2015.

Remember that long yellow cape gown Rihanna wore to the Met gala last year? It was designed by China’s Guo Pei, who is getting plenty of competition from other female designers in the country’s burgeoning fashion industry.

THE AMERICAS

Downgrading progress

Sadly, women aren’t making as much progress in U.S. boardrooms as previously thought. Heidrick & Struggles Board Monitor says it no longer expects women to make up half of the new directors in 2024, and instead extended the projection to 2026.

They bonded on atrip to New Delhi to speak with female patients with HIV. And now, with a nod to the VC-model, Maverick Collective CEO Kate Roberts and the Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway are recruiting female investors for projects for girls and women in developing countries.